Debt

Debt has long been the nursemaid to the American Dream. When you consider that said dream consists of little more than the ability to buy lots of pretty, shiny things and to live for years mortgaged to the hilt, it's no surprise that we've internalised the idea that debt is like, well, mother's milk: Healthy finances requires a healthy dose of it from the start, we're told. Indeed, most of us think we are incomplete without debt.